Ice Painted in Preparation For Thunder Hockey's 25th Season

As the Wichita Thunder Hockey team prepares for its 25th season, crews at Intrust Bank Arena prepare the ice on which the team will play.

On Oct. 3, crews braved the cold to paint lines on the ice.

“The process of installing the ice takes about 24 hours” said Christine Pileckas.

Before crews can begin the actual installation process, the concrete floors must be cooled.

“They run really cold water through pipes under the floor, and they keep the building cold,” Pileckas said.

This takes place about a week prior to installing the ice, and allows water to freeze when the crews are ready to begin building the ice.

“The logo is actually a banner that we will build the ice on top of,” Pileckas said. “In major leagues, that would be hand-painted, too, but they aren’t required to do that in our league.”

The Wichita Thunder debuted a new logo this season to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the team. The season will kick off with an opening night block party on October 15, as the Thunder go head-to-head with the Tulsa Oilers.

This will also be Heartspring Autism Awareness night. The game will begin at 7:05 p.m. at Intrust Bank Arena. Tickets are available online.